[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 129 (Wednesday, November 15, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2059]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING THE LIFE OF MARILYN MENNELLO

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOHN L. MICA

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 15, 2006

  Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to 
Marilyn Mennello of Winter Park, Florida, a wonderful friend, tireless 
advocate for the arts and community leader in Central Florida. She was 
a philanthropist who rose to national prominence as an arts patron who 
inspired all whom she met.
  From humble beginnings in Pasadena, California, Marilyn moved to the 
Orlando area in 1962. Raising two daughters, she was a successful 
business woman and community activist.
  She devoted her time and energy to charity work, especially in the 
arts. In 1964, she was appointed to the Cultural Affairs Committee and 
later founded a volunteer group of 101 women to raise funding for the 
Loch Haven Arts Center, now the Orlando Museum of Art. This group 
became one of the most successful fundraising organizations in Central 
Florida benefiting the Orlando Science Center, the Orlando Museum of 
Art, the American Heart Association of Central Florida and the Florida 
Hospital. In 1998 she and her husband, Michael Mennello cofounded the 
Orlando Mennello Museum.
  She is credited for discovering the work of Earl Cunningham, a self-
taught artist and shop owner from Maine. He displayed his paintings in 
his St. Augustine shop that included an array of vivid harbor scenes 
and Americana. Over 15 years, the Mennellos worked to promote him as an 
important folk artist. The Mennellos presented one of his pieces to 
President George W. Bush for the White House Collection. Cunningham's 
art now hangs proudly in the Mennello Museum. An exhibition featuring 
Cunningham's work will open in the Smithsonian in Washington, DC next 
year.
  Not only was Marilyn Mennello special to art appreciation in America, 
she was a patriot who dearly loved our country. She was also a loving 
mother and grandmother to her daughters, Lynda and Sylvia, and her 
grandsons, Alec and Andrew.
  To her devoted husband, Michael, we extend our deepest sympathy.
  To Marilyn's entire family, we extend our condolences.
  Mr. Speaker, because of Marilyn Mennello's dedication to our Nation 
and to art in America, I ask all Members of the U.S. House of 
Representatives to join me in recognizing and remembering her life.

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